Those Modern Days
by LadyKnight44
Summary: Kel's a special agent in Modern Times...that explains most of it. I've decided to keep it and write it.
1. Prologue

Those Modern Days

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Let's get a few things straight. I'm twenty three, I'm a special agent, I hate my partner, and I work for Raoul Goldenlake's The Own Special Forces. Oh yeah and my best friend is Nealan Queenscove who we discovered working in a fast food place wanting to 'become separate from the higher place society that his parents came from'. Which, may I tell you, is where most of every special agent's parents come from. Even Lerant who you would never peg as from the richer society is from there. Well, they don't have the money anymore but they have the name and that is all that counts.

Let's mention another few things. I hate my partner. That's always going to be mentioned because really, I do hate him and he does hate me. Another thing is, I'm a brunette, with hazel eyes, tall, nose is pierced and there's currently green hair dye on the bottom of my hair. Not my choice, it came with the last job I had to do. Its better then my partner whose hair is permanently dyed blue; he didn't realize there was something called semi-permanent. Well, he's not a girl so he has that excuse.

Another thing (I seem to mention quite a few other things); well we have competition from The Riders Special Forces. I love that part, Special Forces, as though we're special. We are, but not in the good way. I swear some of us (not including me) need to be locked up in a big room with padded walls and large guards guarding it (Neal especially). Anyway, we all have our 'special' abilities. Neal? Well we brought him in because he was pelting ketchup at poor innocent kids, and his aims pretty decent but we needed someone who didn't have trouble hitting without feeling bad immediately after it. When questioned the next day he didn't really care what happened to the kids. It was a priceless afternoon. He ended up being over qualified but we kept him anyway. His cousin who works here put in a good word as did I. I've known Neal since I was little for all he's about five years older then me. Our parents run in the same social circle and his dad used to date my mom…long story.

Yet another thing to mention is I hate my partner but besides that (trust me you'll hear it a thousand more times) is I've been working here for five year which means I was eighteen when I started. I applied for it when I was sixteen and forced my way to the top to be hired when I turned eighteen. It worked and there I was fresh out of school and working for them. I proved myself within a year and was partnered with my current partner (who I hate) and a full out special forces agent which means I can be put in any situation and deal with it like my partner (still hating him).

The door to my office slams open (I hate it) and in slumps my partner…still hating him. He sits down, crosses his legs arrogantly and swipes a hand through his long pale blonde hair.

Oh yeah, my partner? His names Joren Stone, formerly Joren Stone Mountain, and trust me hate doesn't even begin to cover our disgust for each other.

A/N: Okay…I'm not sure if I really want to continue this so I was hoping if someone wanted to tell me whether or not I should. It just came to mind randomly and I figured I'd test it and see if I was going to continue it or not. So if you like it tell me, if it's way to unoriginal then I would really really appreciate knowing that. The title is a cross from two songs, Those Magic Changes which I originally thought of Those Modern Changes but then I was listening to Days Go By by Keith Urban and got Those Modern Days. Yeah…random.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

It should have been a normal day at work. Shuffle a bit of paperwork, make two or three phone calls and find out when I'll receive my next assignment, but nothing and I mean _nothing_ is ever normal when Joren's around. It's a given.

First, he came walking into my office. See, Joren has his own office. Does he use it? No. Does he have anything in it? No. Why? We have no idea. Joren seems to think offices are for people who aren't out in the field like the intern Owen, or the few clerks we have laying around. So, he doesn't want his office, and he decides that he'll use mine because we're partners or Neal's because it irritates the hell out of him.

Then he watched me. It's not the usual type of casual watching that some people do. It's the 'I'm better then you so I'll secretly make fun of you while your doing everything wrong' sort of watching. And I hate him. Well, I pretty much can't stand to sit in the same room his him, which gets complicated when we go off on jobs. Because really, when you're stuck with Joren for weeks upon times you'd get desperate enough to try to kill him too. It's happened before.

I personally have never tried to kill Joren. But while it's come extremely close it was Joren's first partner that tried to do off with him. His name was Iden Vikison I believe. He's Owen's cousin. Joren was with him for about a week and then Iden stabbed him. Anyway, Iden had to be restrained and Joren had to explain everything and Iden was allowed to say something if Joren had it wrong. I do believe the story, that Joren wouldn't stop poking Iden and he finally lost it. One, Joren does it to me all the time, and two it's gods cursed annoying if you've ever had it happen to you. Particularly because Joren himself is annoying, just his presence could cause anyone to lose control of any sanity they possess in this building. And we are seriously lacking sanity…trust me. It was rather amusing hearing them decide who was right during the fight, although the first time I met Joren was much better.

I remember that day because it was the first time I'd ever gone back to the building (that's what we refer to it as) with an open wound. Usually I take the time to bind it. But I was furious because they hadn't even managed to stab me with a real weapon. They used a fork and slammed it repeatedly into my shoulder. So there I was, clutching my shoulder with hot disgusting sticky blood pouring out of it and demanding to see Raoul immediately. I wanted to know why he had me deliver a message to a madman. Anyway, that didn't go over with them to well and they physically had to take me to the infirmary. Let me remind you I was in a lot of pain and I was not thinking to clearly. That's when I first met Joren who had just come back from a mission and he was watching me as I fought. Apparently it was quite amusing when I punched Neal and almost sent him into unconsciousness. To get on with this, the person I had sent a message too was the right person and he was sane the last time Raoul had seen him but something had gone wrong and he was now completely insane. I'm not sure the entire story because they wouldn't tell me; it's really top secret or something. I don't mind I don't even want to think about it. Well, that's the story of how Joren first saw me, but we weren't partners until later.

"What are you doing?" Joren finally demands. I turn around and wait patiently and he waves his hand at the desk. It's not a wreck, but I'm still reorganizing it. I've nothing better to do, "You've organized your desk at _least_ twenty times," he declares and I roll my eyes.

"At least I have a desk to organize," I retort before turning around. It's a serious argument between us. Why doesn't he just take the office and get out of mine. I can't stand working while he just sits there, and most of the time offers what I can do better.

Joren opens his mouth to retort when my phone rings. We both stare at it before I reach to answer it. It's my mother and I wince. Tonight I'm supposed to eat dinner with my family…all of them. There are times when I love my mother, but this is not one of them. She invited not only my sister's and their husbands and children but all of my brothers, which normally doesn't bother me…except one. Conal. We never have gotten along, and he's the reason for my unbearable fear of heights….he hung me over the edge of our highest window at the top part of our house which is…huge. It was terrifying and he almost let me go, my shirt ripped slightly and it was only that they had heard me screaming that I was saved. Even though Conal didn't actually intend to kill me, it was close. Conal doesn't' remember doing it either, which is hard because something like that I can't forgive. Not that it matters, he's still a prig as always.

"Hello," I answer easily. I know the usual response will come. Except today it doesn't.

"Kel," my mother sounds weary, "Tell me, please tell me, that you can make it tonight," there is a strain in her voice and I sigh. She knows me too well. I'd already gathered my excuses.

"I promise, unless I get a job assignment today I will make it," there's a hint of reluctance that is not usually in my voice.

"Thank you!" she exclaims cheerfully, "Oh Kel you'll get to see your brothers again, and of course Adie and Orie and Demadina and Patricine, and the others. Trust me; you will not want to miss this! Oh…do you have an escort?" that's another thing. My mother doesn't throw regular dinners were the family comes and you have a good time…It's almost always a social function which means high ranked people will be there, which means more or less my boss will have to make a small appearance which never ceases to amuse me. I've known him my entire life because he likes my parents too much to say no and hurt their feelings.

"Um…well you see…" usually Seaver (another agent) will come with me, and sometimes, rarely, but sometimes I can persuade Lerant into it. But Seaver warned him the last time with my grandmother who doesn't exactly…understand privacy. She can ask questions that could turn even Wyldon Cavall red. It's highly amusing if their not directed at me and the people I know, "I usually could get Seaver to come with me but after last time…and he warned Lerant…."

"Oh," she winces in sympathy remembering quite well what happens, "never the less I can find someone," she says cheerfully again. She always does. It doesn't' matter because we both know the truth. I will probably stick close to my family and those I know before I leave.

"Yeah…so I'll talk to you tonight?" she agrees and I can hear there's someone shrieking in background which means that the little ones have woken from their nap and we click off. She's preoccupied and I can't stand there talking all day either.

Joren's highly amused, because he knows exactly what the conversation is about. He always does. But I can get a certain amount of satisfaction from knowing that he too will be forced to attend tonight. His mother seems to think that she can make amends for her husband's behavior if she drags him and her son to my mother's because most people like my mother and father. Their diplomats, it's hard not to. They know exactly the right thing to say to smooth things over. It's probably the best thing a kid can have, a parent who tells them not only what they want to hear, but how to fix things without loosing their pride. It's a talent that many people would kill to have.

We settle back into our former routine. When we're not on jobs, we do the same thing. Phone calls, paper shuffling, typing a bit here and there, Joren cleaning his gun and me making sure he doesn't set it off again and scare everyone around, above and below us again. There's officially a bullet lodged in my door. He was pissed at Neal and shot…my door. I wished he could have gone to Neal's door instead. It would have made things easier for me to handle. Instead he got mine and I'm stuck with a bullet to stare at when I get bored. It could be worse.

"So…I never got the full story of how you got Neal to come work here," Joren comments and I sigh. He's wanted to know to torment Neal for ages. It really is a funny story, but Joren wants to use it against Neal and we all decided to try to keep it from him. It doesn't work for our own stories since Joren found access to most of our files. Neal is an exception and we're trying to figure out why. Apparently Neal has security blocks around him and I have a feeling I know why. It has to do with how we found Neal in the first place.

"Fine. Maybe this will keep your mouth shut so you can think of ways to torment Neal. Neal said he was going off to college. Most of us believed him, since for as long as any of us could remember Neal declared us all idiots with a few of us as exceptions, and he was always interested in becoming a doctor like his father. Anyway, I've known Neal since I was little and he really was dramatic even then. So his parents said he went off to college and we all believed them as I said. Anyway, one day we needed someone to do a job that required someone without guilt. The only people who don't have guilt in the business then were away on missions. So, Raoul was determined to find someone and we went subtly searching. We found Neal working in a fast food restaurant throwing ketchup at little kids who were irritating him. He apparently was determined to become independent of our society like many of us and so he dropped out of college and bought his own apartment and didn't tell his parents anything," that's the truth. Like me, like Lerant and like many other agents Neal was determined not to become another empty society follower, and we did find him working in a fast food restaurant throwing ketchup at children, and we did hire him.

"Why'd you keep him on? After you finished whatever you needed?" Joren wasn't making fun of Neal. That's a first. I sigh.

"Because he had basic medical training and was willing to learn more, because although he lacks any ambition he knows how to shoot a straight shot and he's got basic hand to hand combat down and because he's good at solving puzzles," I shrug, "He was needed then, just like he's needed now,"

Finally blessed silence and emptiness fills the room. Joren's lost in thought and I'm allowed to finish organizing my desk. He's got a point, I do this often, just as I do my reports early and I always am on time. Although you could call me predictable most people don't. I do often times do things that I usually don't. Like just a minute ago, I never ever _ever_ tell Neal's being hired story. Back then, I was the only one with Raoul when we brought him in. Neal at first didn't mind saying how he got caught but when people thought about telling his worried sick parents where he was. It's why I never invite him to go with me to my parents, or mention him to anyone there at all. Inness my older brother is the only other one who knows I know where Neal is because he caught me hanging out with Neal at my apartment down the street. He's kept it a secret thankfully.

"Neal was right though," Joren comments, "About wanting to separate from our society. You did it too but you did it while telling your parents and being open about it. Neal did it secretly because he's like me, their only son left,"

Joren can do that. Be surprisingly insightful and kind while trying not to be. He does it hardly ever and it's rare and surprising. Usually it's about someone like Lerant whose family name is in tatters, or Seaver whose sister ran off last year with some big shot lawyer who ended up being married. He's nicer about their scandals. When it comes to me, or Neal he's hardly ever nice. Or himself for that matter, but we don't offer him any pity either. Joren chose his fate just like we chose ours. He ended up being a stoic ass but that's his choice.

"Yeah well Neal didn't have much of a choice. His father would support him and his mother would be nice about it I suppose but the others in his family would never accept him there again. His sister's especially. While they are more open and accepting of everything new his sister's would never forgive the scandal that he would put through. "Son disappears and turns out to be working as a special agent". That would tarnish their perfect family image. Debutant sisters, son on his way to becoming a medical hero, the father who's already a medical hero and their mother whose the perfect hostess. That would definitely ruin his sister's happiness," you can't blame me for not liking his sisters. I like one of them who's my age and talks to me often. I have a feeling she knows I know where Neal is but I'm not aloud to tell her. I mean, I can Neal said because he likes her best but I can't. The only ones outside of the agency who know are Inness, and Neal's cousin who've none of us have ever met.

"I've met his sisters," that's as much of an agreement as anyone will ever get out of Joren. It's usually a simple statement like that. Not quite saying that he agrees but not denying it either. It keeps life easy for him because every time someone goes to quote him they realize that he didn't actually agree to something. Not one time has he ever said that "yes" or "yes that's right" about anything that's not a question.

Anyway its days like these, where there's nothing to do and we sit around and usually someone ends up with a water gun stored in Neal's office. He loves water guns because he can't really harm anyone. Neal has at least ten and their hidden around the entire place. Raoul doesn't really mind because to him it's a way to get rid of stored up energy or tension or something. Especially because Neal's had extremely bad cases and if he wants to let go of it with a water gun then as long as nothing gets overly damaged so be it. It's when Faleron, Seaver, Owen and Neal get a hold of them that we have to be careful….and not for ourselves; for our competition over at The Rider's agency.

The Rider's are our only competition and we run into them often on cases. They are better for going fast and starting. When we have bank robberies they get in there first and assess the situation and do what they can. Then we go in, with them, and take it all apart. Or murder cases where we're after the killer. Their onsite team will evaluate the dead person, their trackers go after the killer and we add our own people. It's Neal, Faleron, Seaver, Joren, and many others who don't think we should let them share the cases that get us in trouble.

There are pranks that go between us. None of them have gone too far…yet. There's always the chance and that's why Raoul keeps an eye out for anything that looks out of the ordinary. Like Neal sneaking outside with a paint gun, or Owen with this potato launcher he has…don't ask.

Nevertheless, when the bell (yes we have a bell) finally rings, I'm out of there with Joren within minutes. We both live in the same apartment building along with Yuki, Neal, Seaver and Faleron. Owen and Iden live two blocks away from ours, and some of the other agents (Wolset, Qasim, and Quinden) live there too. It doesn't' really bother us because although me, Joren and Yuki are all on the same floor none of us really talk to each other besides me and Yuki.

Yuki's another agent. She's more into the murder cases and taking care of the body. The whole looking inside a dead person's body is kind of gross to me. She doesn't' mind it, saying that their dead and can't tell but I've never been able to stomach it. She's good at what she does anyway. She's like those cool people from like those crime shows who say all the fancy chemical words. We call them by their regular names. Who cares for the special terms when you're in a rush to find the murderer? We leave it up to Yuki and her two partners Sacherell who's around Raoul's age and the head of that department and Warric. They have others, interns and assistants but I'm not sure their names.

Okay picture this car. It's gorgeous, cherry red and tan leather interior and a nice engine that goes fast and can either extremely loud or extremely quiet. That's my car, bought for me by my brothers, including Conal who pitched in. When I got this job, they knew I needed a nice car because my other one was decent and a normal person car but they wanted me to "look like a special agents" but I was never sure. Until it won me the respect of the other agents, besides it's a nice car.

So naturally I'm the first one home out of the six of us who live there. Joren's second but he usually stops in to talk to Raoul briefly. His car's….well as much as I wish I could say a piece of crap its better then mine. Everyone knows how Joren feels about cars. He has five in this parking lot. A lot of cars but since there's only about fourteen people living in this building no one really cares. He has the car he's driving, he has his extremely fast car, he's got his truck, he has his fancy million dollar car and he's got his last car that's not available anywhere yet. Of course he got it extremely cheap because if you're related to his family you're aloud to do and get whatever the hell you want and no one will say a word about it unless it's a compliment. Besides me but that's just because we're partners and he can't really do anything without Raoul's anger being down on him. No one else will work with Joren.

Anyway this is my apartment. It's on the top floor; it's got three bedrooms (which are nice) a kitchen, living room, office area, two full bathrooms (that's a perk) and a balcony. It's a decent place to live because my mother decorated the entire place and I have a cheap rent. The others are like these, and trust me it's nice. I've got a phone, a computer and all those amazing things. A television too, but that doesn't really get used unless Neal's over. Which is often, because I cook decent food but most of the time I get take out and pay for it.

My family's not exactly rich but now that we're almost all grown up completely (I have a feeling Conal will never fully grow up) they can afford to toss extra things around here and there. So I have money in the account even if it's only what, a hundred bucks? They make sure I can always afford at least the basics wherever I go. But I never go over board. They aren't responsible for me anymore, they haven't been since I was at least fourteen because back then I was starting high school and I got my first job and I lived with them and that was about it. There's nothing else that I needed done for me.

"One," I mutter, "Two…three…four…five…" there, right after five is a loud knock on the door and in sweeps Neal without waiting for my response. He's now standing in the doorway with Yuki who gives me a grin. Yuki's beautiful and that's not a lie. She's slightly plump but in the good curvy way, dark hair that fell to her waist with two locks that framed her face. Yuki's eyes are an almond shaped brown that sparkled with good humor whenever she betrayed her usual emotionless expression. And she also knows quite well that Neal is almost fully in love with her and she didn't really shove him away or pull him closer. I always wondered how she felt but never asked her, I can never find the right words.

"Good evening," Neal greets me and he throws himself gracelessly onto our couch. I roll my eyes and I glance at Yuki to see she's heading towards my living room because unlike Neal she doesn't usually toss herself around other peoples apartments…or her own. Yuki's very proper and has a great many manners. It's a refreshment from Neal who while isn't exactly lacking in manners, doesn't always show a great deal of politeness towards me…or anyone really. Except Raoul but he's his boss and Neal isn't inclined to go work at any more food service places.

"We got an update on the body they found," Yuki tells me as we ignore Neal. Neal will join this conversation; it's something he's interested in. Last weekend, two of our agents found a dead body in a brand new apartment. Yuki's team has been working on it for the past week trying to figure out who it is and how he was killed. It's a guy, we knew that much, "It's a male obviously. His name's Hugo Longleigh and he works in the upper city district as a footman for I think the Legann household. He was killed not from the gun wound that we'd originally thought but he was killed from poison and then shot, either as what they might have thought as a mercy act or to cover it up,"

"What type of poison?" Neal immediately asks sitting up straight and waiting for the answer. The thing about Neal is, he's extremely interested in poison and things along those lines.

"Belladonna," Yuki says it easily, "He was probably hallucinating and I know for a fact that he had loss of balance from bruising on his arms, and his throat and mouth were without moisture. I have a feeling too, that he had the rest of the symptoms. It wasn't the usual type of poisoning used by these plants, this was full force shoved down the throat type,"

"So he was definitely dead or dying when they shot him…" I wonder at that. Usually the killers do the shot as a cover up always praying that we aren't doing an autopsy. It's part of our jobs to do a full investigation on every crime. Even though I usually do the tracking and taking down, I have an interest at times in this area. Joren doesn't usually pay attention unless it has to do with our own crime because we both like to know everything and what we are looking for. Although most of our jobs are no longer murders. We focus on more serious things, if you can even think that way. We do.

Neal gets up and goes to my fridge. There's take out foods, and whatever my mother and sisters had stocked in their on their last visit. He doesn't cook, and since like me, he lives alone he always comes over here for food when he doesn't feel like ordering or going to get anything. Yuki cooks but sometimes she'll come over here. Personally, I think it's more for Neal then for me, but I don't mention it. She'd be embarrassed and probably more or less pissed off.

Like we do almost every other night of the year, we sit and watch TV. As usual, Yuki sits absolutely still because she doesn't have to fidget or any such thing, Neal is still eating because he hardly ever stops himself until his stomach hurts, and I'm fiddling with my nose ring. Which isn't actually a ring; it's a small diamond stud. It wasn't my choice to get one but once I got one I never took it out. I'm not sure why, I'm still trying to decide whether I want to keep it or not. It goes along with the green at the end of my hair. It was all for a mission. Like Joren's hair, it's a bright blue. It's faded out for the most part, but I still can see it clearly in my mind.

"What are we doing tonight?" Neal asks finally looking up from where he is sprawled out.

"Nothing," Yuki remarks when my phone rings. Jumping up I grab at it.

"Hello," I don't even check the number. It happens so often that there's no time anymore. It could be an emergency from my family, my job, or one of my friends. Yes, I do have friends outside of work which never ceases to amaze my sisters. Apparently I'm not anti-social so much as I don't do anything outside of work. She forgets the millions of dinner parties I've been dragged to.

"Kel. Get Neal, Yuki and get over here _now_," Raoul. He doesn't even bother to say goodbye and hangs up. Yuki and Neal are staring at me.

"Grab your things. Something's happened,"

A/N: Well….I tried to think of someplace good to end so I figured that that was a good place to end as any. It will get a bazillion more times interesting but since it's like the first or second chapter (depending on how you look at it) it probably won't be that interesting. I'm not sure what pairing(s) I'm going to put in this. I haven't' decided yet.


End file.
